Sleeping Beauty
by Mikkeneko
Summary: Aya talking to a sleeping Aya-chan.


How would you like to be Raina?  
  
It means... princess. I've come to realize lately that names... are more than just what your parents give you. Names should reflect who you are, should have more meaning attached to them than a printout on a birth certificate somewhere. And Raina... is what you are. What you should be.  
  
Now, if you were a princess, you ought to have a little castle... only a little one. I know you'd be too uncomfortable with a big house; you'd laugh and say it was too showy.' So just a little castle... not one of those dark stone monstrosities you'll find in England or Germany. Those wouldn't be right for you at all. Something white, open and cheery... a little villa, just for you alone.  
  
It will be on a beach, of course. Somewhere with a lovely view of the sunset. The view from here isn't so good; all the buildings get in the way. But somewhere on a western shore, where the sun sets over the water, staining the sky and the ocean with gold and pink where the waves wash up on the sand.  
  
You'll like that, I think. I know how much you loved the ocean, the few times we got to go there and see. You can walk the beach in your sundress, watching the sunset, every day. Maybe bring along a picnic. How would you like to do that every day? You'll have to remember to put on your sunscreen, of course; you're too fair to stay out in the sun without burning. Even more so, now that you've been inside for so long.  
  
Now... You loved gardening, didn't you? Well, out back of your castle, you can have a flower garden, all your own. This will be in the tropics, of course, somewhere where there's never any winter, so the plants won't die. They'll just keep on growing; you can grow flowers as big as yourself. I'll help you, if you need me. I know how.  
  
We won't be alone on the island, of course. Oh, I know how much you'd hate that. No, the natives to the island will be there, of course; lovely, gentle people, who don't need anyone else in the world. No complex politics or big businesses or webs of intrigue and death, no. They're good people, and you will befriend them, I know. They'll love you; everybody loves you.  
  
It wouldn't be fair to keep you all alone, with only me for company. You're a young woman, with a girl's needs and desires. Maybe you'll meet some sweet, good-hearted island boy who will take care of you properly. You'll meet, start to date, then fall in love, just like every young woman should.  
  
--Of course, if he breaks your heart, I'll carve his liver out. But he won't. He'll love you the way you deserve to be loved, a with a pure and unstained heart. Soon you'll get married, and he'll move into the villa with you. I'll have my own house, just over the hill, so I won't be intruding on your space -- but I'll always be there when you need me.  
  
Always.  
  
And you'll have beautiful children, just like you should, with their mother's sweet and lovely nature. And they'll play in your garden, and run on the beach, and stay always safe and guarded. They'll never have to be alone or afraid, with their Uncle watching over them. Vere. I think my name will be Vere.  
  
I guess you think I'm building castles in the air, spinning fantasies to make you feel better. I'm not, you know. I have everything planned out. You can do anything, with enough money -- and with all the jobs I've done, I have more than enough. Kritiker thinks it knows where all my money has gone, but they're wrong. I've had it all moved and routed to new accounts, places they'll never find, never trace back to us.  
  
Oh -- you're worried, aren't you? Don't be. I know where all the bugs are in this room, the hidden cameras and microphones listening in on our conversations. But I managed to get in a few weeks ago, and change the circuitry a bit. They'll never see or hear what we talk about in here.  
  
I've got it all planned out. New identities created for both of us -- new lives, to replace the old ones we've lost. A property, somewhere in the Philippines, bought in our new names. I've got tickets waiting for us for the airport just outside of the city, waiting only for a signal to become active.  
  
You'd be surprised how easy it is for two people to disappear off the face of the planet, especially two young people who are already supposed to be dead. The only ones who knows we even exist are Kritiker, and I've spent so much time on this, covering our tracks perfectly. Not Kritiker, not Esset, not Schwarz or even Weiss will be able to find us when we go. Nobody will ever trace us, track us. We'll be safe, finally, forever.  
  
We have all the money we'll ever need -- I've seen to that. I've put the money in safe accounts, parts of it sunk into most every economic net in the face of the planet. From there, it'll just keep feeding on itself -- even if I never put another yen into it, there's enough to make every one of our dreams come true. Your castle.  
  
It's all waiting for us, on a moment's say so. When you wake up, we can be gone within an hour. We'll be reborn, you and I, somewhere they won't find us. A place where we won't ever have to be afraid again, or hungry, or sick.  
  
When you wake up, we can go.  
  
When you wake up, I won't ever have to kill again.  
  
When you wake up, there will be no more reasons to cry.  
  
Oh, Aya... Aya, please...  
  
Please wake up soon.  



End file.
